say president obama wins ohio, his numbers go up to 255. say he wins another huge state like florida and he is at 284. all of a sudden it's game over. now you see why the candidates are focused on the buckeye state. >> very different messages for mitt romney and president obama. who are they talking to and where in ohio? >> reporter: mitt romney is in the middle of this campaign bus tour through the state. it's lasting three days. he's doing three campaign rally. this is the latest poll showing president obama with a 51%, 44% lead. >> there's so many in our country that are hurting right now. i want to help them. i know what it takes to get an economy going again. >> reporter: as for the president, this was his 29th trip to ohio before taking office. he held rallies at two college campuses. obama targeted the middle class vote while speaking to supporters at bowling green university. >> we can create 1 million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years with the right policies. that's what i'm fighting for. that's why i'm running for a se